Playing guitar is a great skill to develop. It is fun, and you can make your own songs if you want. If you’re thinking of learning to play guitar, you might ask, exactly how hard is it to learn guitar?
Learning the guitar takes a lot of time and dedication to master, as any other musical instrument.
How long it will take for you to learn guitar and how hard it is will ultimately depend on the work you put in and how efficient you are in practice.
In this article, we will answer questions you need to know before learning guitar, and how hard it is to practice the instrument.
Contents
Factors That Determine How Hard It Is To Learn Guitar
The truth, how hard is it to learn guitar is different for each person and depends on a lot of various factors:
Natural Talent
You need to know that natural talent and musical aptitude will play a huge factor when you start learning. For some, learning how to play could come easily and naturally without much difficulty. However, for others, learning to play guitar might be the hardest thing to master.
Your Goals
Of course, if you want to learn the guitar to be a guitar legend, the process will be challenging and will take some time. To be great, you have to learn a lot of techniques and styles to hone your skills.
But if your goal is to learn simple chords so that you can play your favorite songs with accompaniment, learning the guitar will not be as hard.
Learning Resources
How you learn guitar also plays a role in how hard it is to pick up the instrument. Learning how to play from a guitar teacher is different from having guitar lessons on your own.
You can find a lot of free guitar lessons on YouTube. But without proper structure and someone guiding you, the learning process could be more complicated than it should be.
On the other hand, having a guitar teacher who will lead you through a guitar lesson, correct you and inspire you will make the learning experience more fun and much better.
We recommend checking out two of the best online guitar lesson platforms for beginners: Fender Play and GuitarTricks.
It’s also crucial to find an instructor that will support and inspire you during your learning journey, that’s why the key factor is to find customized lessons that will help you to grow faster and easier with proper personal attention. So, another great source where you can learn to play guitar in person or online, is TakeLessons.
How Effectively You Practice
In learning musical instruments as a beginner, you have to spend a lot of time and effort in practice. However, even if you spend a lot of your free time practicing, you might still not see improvement.
What you need is to practice effectively with a structured and efficient practice routine that works for you. The structured practice will make the learning experience much better, saving you precious time and energy.
Biggest Challenges Of Learning the Guitar
If you are a complete beginner, here are the challenges to expect in learning the stringed instrument:
Understanding the Fretboard
There are a lot of frets on a guitar that you have to learn. By a lot, it means at least 22 or 24 frets. And you have 144 different possible notes to make.
If you are only starting, you might think that the notes don’t make sense or there is no rhythm. But as you progress, you will learn to understand the fretboard and recognize where all the notes are.
Changing Between Chords
Learning basic chords and where to place your fingers on the fingerboard is one thing.
Changing between chords is another. It might take some time getting used to, but you will learn it. It will get easier as you practice.
Skipping Strings
Playing two non-adjacent strings is quite a challenge. At first, you will end up plucking the wrong chords. But with practice, your picking hand will develop muscle memory, and in time, your could play the instrument without even looking at the fretboard.
Barre Chords
Barre chords are the set of chords that require you to press on across the entire set of strings on a single fret of the fingerboard. You will need excellent coordination and strong hands to hit the chords and practice as much as you can.
Skipping In-Between Songs
One of the most common mistakes a beginner usually makes is switching between songs midway. Some practice from one song to another without actually mastering the techniques used in the previous song.
Skipping between songs is a bad habit to have and will only slow down your progress. It is best to stick with one song master, and only then proceed to practice another song.
Making Time For Practice
You don’t have to spend hours practicing. But if you want to succeed at learning the guitar, make sure to include it in your routine. It doesn’t matter if it’s just for a few minutes you spend following free lessons and printing out the tabs. No matter how short it is, playing the instrument every day will get you the results you want.
Benefits Of Learning The Guitar
At this point, you might think that learning the guitar is such a complicated task. But it is not that bad, and it offers several benefits too.
- Improves Coordination: Practicing the guitar is beneficial for your cognitive function. It will develop coordination between your hands as you learn to hit the strings with your fingers while strumming.
- Keeps Your Mind Sharp: It also requires you to focus and concentrate, which helps sharpens your mind.
- Teaches Time Management: You will need to take some time for practice improving your time management skills.
- Excellent Outlet: Playing instruments is a good way to let off some steam and take a break when life gets too overwhelming.
Aside from the above benefits, practicing guitar is simply a rewarding experience. You can play songs with your friends, give a performance, or make your type of music.
Recommended Guides
- Best Electric Guitar for Beginners
- Acoustic Guitar for Beginners
- Acoustic vs Electric Guitar for Beginners – Which Is Better?
- Best Acoustic Guitars
Conclusion
Learning guitar can be hard at first, as with learning any other things. You might not be good at it in the beginning. You might not be able to hit the right notes. Not to mention the calluses you will very much have on your fingers.
Practicing the guitar will indeed be hard. But if you really want to learn, it is not impossible. It is ultimately a fun and rewarding experience, so pick up that guitar now and start learning